Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em is the third album (and second major-label release) by MC Hammer, released on February 12, 1990[1] by Capitol Records. The album was produced, recorded, and mixed by Felton Pilate and James Earley.

Hammer being good friends with Arsenio Hall, was invited to first perform "U Can't Touch This" prior to its release, on The Arsenio Hall Show in late 1989.[4] He also performed "Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em", a song that didn't make it on this album, but did appear in his movie by the same name.

The album singles released all proved to be successful on radio and video television, with "U Can't Touch This", "Pray", "Have You Seen Her", "Here Comes the Hammer" and "Yo!! Sweetness" (UK only) all charting. The album raised rap music to a new level of popularity. It was the first hip-hop album certifieddiamond by the RIAA for sales of over ten million.[5] It remains one of the genre's all-time best-selling albums.[6] To date, the album has sold as many as 22 million units.[7][8][9][10]

Notorious for dissing rappers in his previous recordings, Hammer appropriately titled his third album (and second major-label release) Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em,[11] which was released January 1, 1990.[12][13] It included the successful single "U Can't Touch This" (which sampledRick James' 1981 "Super Freak"). It was produced, recorded, and mixed by Felton Pilate and James Earley on a modified tour bus (while on tour) in 1989.[14] Despite heavy airplay and a #27 chart debut, "U Can't Touch This" stopped at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart because it was released only as a twelve-inch single.[clarification needed] However, the album was a #1 success for 21 weeks, due primarily to this single, the first time ever for a rap recording on the pop charts. The song has been and continues to be used in many movies and television shows to date, and appears on soundtrack and compilation albums as well.

A criticalbacklash began over the repetitive nature of his lyrics, his clean-cut image, and his perceived over-reliance on using hooks from other artists for the basis of his singles—criticisms that were also directed at his contemporary, Vanilla Ice. He was mocked in music videos by 3rd Bass, The D.O.C., DJ Debranz, and Ice Cube. Oakland hip-hop group Digital Underground mocked him in the CD insert of its Sex Packets album when placing his picture in with the other members and referring to him as an unknown derelict. LL Cool J mocked him in "To tha Break of Dawn," a track on his Mama Said Knock You Out album, calling Hammer an "amateur, swinging a Hammer from a bodybag [his pants]," and saying, "My old gym teacher ain't supposed to rap." (LL Cool J would later compliment and commend Hammer's abilities/talents on VH-1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop, which aired in 2008.)

However, Ice-T came to Hammer's defense on his 1991 album O.G. Original Gangster: "A special shout-out to my man M.C. Hammer: a lot of people dis you, man, but they just jealous." Ice-T later explained that he had nothing against people who were pop-rap from the start, as Hammer had been, but only against emcees who switch from being hardcore or "dirty" to being pop-rap so they can sell more records.

The album title was often used as a chant by the crowd during live performances. ("Please, Hammer, don't hurt 'em..."!) Additionally, "Hammer Time" (from the track "U Can't Touch This") became a major pop culture phrase and used in many television shows and movies, eventually becoming Hammer's nickname and the title of his own reality show called Hammertime. "Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em" (featuring vocals by Teddy Riley) was a track used in Hammer's film by the same name. However, the song was never released as a single.

Rick James sued Hammer for infringement of copyright on the song "U Can't Touch This", but the suit was settled out of court when Hammer agreed to credit James as co-composer, effectively cutting James in on the millions of dollars the record was earning. Hammer was also sued by a former producer, Felton Pilate (who is also a member of the successful R&B band, Con Funk Shun) and by several of his former backers, and faced charges that performance troupe members endured an abusive, militaristic atmosphere.[28]

In 1992, Hammer also admitted in depositions and court documents to getting the idea for the song "Here Comes The Hammer" from a Christian recording artist in Dallas, Texas named Kevin Christian. Christian had filed a US$16 million lawsuit against Hammer for copyright infringement for his song entitled "Oh-Oh, You Got The Shing". This fact compounded with witness testimony from both Hammer's and Christian's entourages and other evidence including photos brought about a settlement with Capitol Records in 1994. The terms of the settlement remain sealed. Hammer settled with Christian the following year.[29][30]

The Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em album was accompanied by a film, called Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em: The Movie (1990),[40] which included footage used for many of M.C. Hammer's music videos from the album.[41] The long form music video movie is about a rapper, played by Hammer himself, returning to his hometown and defeating a drug lord who is using kids to traffic his product. Along with his dance tunes being featured, he also plays a preacher character.

Originally released on VHS (on July 1, 1991), the movie can now be found on YouTube or purchased online through services such as Amazon.com and Blockbuster.com, along with The Making of Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em.[44] Additional VHS releases (each approximately 60 minutes of Hammer's music videos) during this time were: Hammer Time (1990) and Here Comes the Hammer (1991).[45] All projects were Capitol Records Productions.[46]